Former Holy Cross student gets probation for online threats

Monday

Jul 7, 2014 at 1:12 PMJul 7, 2014 at 9:19 PM

By Gary V. Murray TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

WORCESTER— A former College of the Holy Cross student accused of threatening on social media to use guns and grenades inside a movie theater was placed on probation today after pleading guilty to a charge of threatening to commit a crime.

Gregory Hamalian, 22, of West Bridgewater was charged in December 2012, after he allegedly wrote on a social media site that he was going to attend a midnight premiere of "The Hobbit" and kill people.

A Holy cross junior and track athlete at the time, Mr. Hamalian also wrote that he admired James Holmes, the man charged in a 2012 attack at a Colorado theater that killed 12 people and injured 70, according to court records.

When questioned by investigators about the threats, Mr. Hamalian said he was not serious when he made them and was simply "trying to get a reaction," according to Assistant District Attorney Marc W. Dupuis.

Mr. Hamalian was placed on probation for one year after pleading guilty to a single count of threatening to commit a crime. The period of probation imposed by Judge David P. Despotopulos was recommended by Mr. Dupuis and Mr. Hamalian's lawyer, Kevin J. Reddington.

As part of the plea agreement, three other charges of threatening and a single count of making a bomb/hijack threat were dismissed.

As a condition of probation, Mr. Hamalian was ordered to continue to undergo counseling.